Armenian Foreign Minister Awards Honorary Medal

The Armenian Foreign Minister, Ararat Mirzoyan, awarded the Honorary Medal to former Norwegian Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland during an official visit to Norway on February 7.

During the awarding ceremony, Minister Mirzoyan stated: "It is a great honor for me to present you with this Medal. It is a symbol and recognition of your contribution to strengthening the bonds between our two countries and our democracy. Congratulations!"

Thorbjørn Jagland expressed his gratitude, saying: "It is a great honor and a pleasure to receive this Medal. Minister, I would like to share a beautiful story with you and everyone present here. The first time I became acquainted with an Armenian and Armenia was when I was a foreign minister. I was visiting Ramallah in the West Bank, and it was the end of Ramadan. Yasser Arafat had a custom of inviting all religious leaders from the region and Jerusalem for dinner at the end of Ramadan. I was also invited as I was there, and I was sitting next to Yasser Arafat. On my right side, there was an elderly man. I did not know who he was at the time, but he was dressed very strangely, I must say, like all other religious leaders. He was elderly, and I didn’t think he knew who I was, but after a while, he realized. He learned that I was the Norwegian Foreign Minister, and do you know what he did? He took a document out of his pocket and said, 'This document has followed me throughout my life; it has saved my life.' It was a Nansen passport. That was one of the reasons why I felt so connected to Armenia the first time, I think. And I am happy that we could do something by the Council of Europe, first, when you joined the Council of Europe. I was not there at that time, but later we worked extensively with you to create new laws and new practices, and to adapt everything to the rules of Europe. I am very glad to see, and I believe we made a great contribution to the transition to a parliamentary republic that you now have. So, I am truly deeply touched, and I am very grateful. Armenia will always be in my heart. Thank you."

During the meeting, Ararat Mirzoyan and Thorbjørn Jagland also exchanged thoughts on regional developments.